Entry Components

This article applies to version 4.8.0 and later of P2 Explorer. For more, see Release History.

Overview

The entry components (Log Entry, Case Entry, and General Entry) allow users to make entries in a workbook. These components are part of Shift Log, and are configured in exactly the same way. There are minor differences in the way the components are used, but configuration is the same.

Explorer’s Entries subsystem is the cornerstone of our ‘single event’ philosophy. An entry is a record that connects data in such a way that it can be accessed by different P2 Explorer modules, such as Shift Log, Sentinel, and A-Plus. This means that an event in Sentinel can also be shared as an event in A-Plus, Case Management, and Shift Log. This results in a seamless user experience for the end user, team collaboration resulting in less double-handling of data, and contributing to better decision-making.

In Shift Log terms, when an operator makes an entry, they are filling in part of the story. Another user in Case Management (for example) may pick up that entry and add further information to it, building upon the foundation until the full picture emerges.

The following diagram shows a Log Entry being configured:

The Log Entry, Case Entry, and General Entry components all have the following configuration options.

Table Title: The text that is to be displayed in the table header.
Entry Form: The Form against which entries are being saved. This contains the fields than will be displayed in the table.
Sort By: By default, the entries are shown according to the created date (or event time for log entries). You can change this to sort by another field or in reverse order.
Group By: By default, entries are shown in a flat list. You can choose a named list from the chosen Form by which to group the entries. This grouping is similar to the "topics" in previous versions of Shift Log.
Filters: Filter the data shown in the table according to your criteria on the available fields.
Columns: Reorder the columns in the table, change their width or label, or hide them.

What Type of Entry Should I Configure?

The three different types of entries are designed for different things - they are similar, but different. They are designed for different purposes, and have different default fields. However all entry types can have any number of fields in addition to the default fields.

Here's a quick guide to help you understand the difference:

  Log Entry General Entry Case Entry
Purpose

Designed to be contained within a shift. The Event Time determines what shift these entries will appear in.

A maximum of 200 entries can be displayed in a log table.

These entries will appear in a workbook until they are closed. They are not tied to a shift. These are similar to general entries in that they will appear in a workbook until they are closed. However they will also appear in Case Management. 
Default Fields
  • Description
  • Event Time
  • Assigned To
  • Closed Date
  • Description
  • Status
  • Time Open
  • Assigned To
  • Category
  • Closed Date
  • Description
  • Due Date
  • Entity
  • Priority
  • Procedure
  • Status
  • Time Open
  • Title

In addition to the above default fields, all entries also contain the following system fields:

  • Created By
  • Created Date
  • ID
  • Last Modified By
  • Last Modified Date

Forms

Prerequisite: Before configuring this component, the Form from where the component will get its data must have already been configured.  For details, see Forms

When configuring a Log Entry, Case Entry, or General Entry, you need to specify a Log Entry Form, Case Entry Form, or General Entry Form. The form determines:

  • The fields that apply to the entry.
  • The schema the entry is saved to. 

Forms can be used in more than one component, which means that the forms are shared - and the entries stored against the form can also be shared among workbooks. You can apply filters to shared forms to restrict the entries to a certain type.

For example, you could have a single form for HSE issues, and use that form in workbooks for Area 1, Area 2, and Area 3. You can then filter the form to only show entries for the relevant area, while retaining a master list in yet another workbook for the HSE manager who overseas all of the those issues. You can filter the form on any field that the form contains, and you can add multiple filters if desired.


Tutorial: Setting up an HSE Log for Area 1

If you're unfamiliar with the process of building pages, read the article Building an Explorer Page.

The Case Entry component allows operators to enter issues that will also appear in Case Management, which enables them to be tracked and managed. In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to configure the Case Entry component in a workbook to display HSE issues for a specific part of the plant. At the end of the tutorial, your workbook should look something like this:

Let’s go through this process, step-by-step.

Note: This configuration assumes the Hazards and Safety form has already been set up.

 

Step 1. Create a new Workbook

Click the New Workbook button on the Home tab of the ribbon, and then click Add New Page.

A Grid layout is added automatically with a row and column spacing of 10.

  • For this exercise, we'll remove one of the rows so we only have one row and one column.

Related: Grid Layout tutorial

 

Step 2. Add the Case Entry Component

Drag and drop the Case Entry component onto a grid cell. The entry components are in the Shift Log  group.

 

Step 3. Configure the Case Entry

In this example, we want the Case Entry to only show entries for Area 1. Configure the Case Entry as follows.

Configure the Options

  • In the Options tab in the editor, fill in the fields as follows:
Field Enter this Notes
Table Title Health, Safety and Environment The preview will update on the fly as you type this in.
Case Entry Form Hazards and Safety Select this from the drop-down list. Note that if this form is already being used elsewhere, those entries will be appear in the preview.
Sort By Priority Select this from the drop-down list. By default, sort order is from lowest to highest or Z-A. Click the buttons to the right to toggle the sort order.
Group By Safety Category Select this from the drop-down list. By default, entries are ungrouped. If there are no entries, or an entry does not have a Safety Category filled in, then the entry will appear under "Ungrouped Entries".

Configure the Filters:

  • Click the Filters tab.
  • Click the + New Filter button.
  • Fill in the fields as follows (note that the preview updates on the fly):
Field Enter this Notes
Field Area Select this from the drop-down list. All fields included in the form are listed here. Note that you cannot filter on multi-line text fields.
Comparison = The available operators depend on the type of field that is selected.
Compare To Area 1 Select this from the drop-down list. The options available for the field are configured in Server Management.

Configure the Columns:

Although the field properties have a default configuration when they are added to the form, you can also tweak how the fields appear in the table for this specific workbook. Note that changes will appear in the preview on the fly.

  • Drag and drop a card to change the order of the columns in the table. 
  • Click the top of the card to expand or collapse it, so you can make other changes.
    • Label: Change the name of the column in the table.
    • Width: Change how wide the table column should be when the page loads. 
    • Hide in Table: Select the check box if you don't want the column to appear in the table.

Step 5. Save the Workbook

When you save the workbook, you will also be saving the page along with it.  The workbook, and associated pages, are saved to a workspace and inherit that workspace's permissions.

In the Workbook Studio ribbon, click Save Workbook.

  • As you do when saving a page, specify the Name of the workbook and the Workspace it should belong to.
  • If you have an unsaved page in the workbook, you will also be asked to name the page. Note that the name cannot be the same as an existing page in the workspace (so you cannot have 2 pages called HSE in 2 different workbooks in the same workspace).

 

Step 6. Workbook Settings

Workbook settings allow you to specify which shift pattern to use and who has access to the workbook.

In the Workbook Studio ribbon, click Settings.

  • Name: The name of the workbook - you can change this if you need to rename the workbook.
  • Site: The name of the site this workbook applies to. The selection list is configured in P2 Server Management. You need to select a site and shift pattern for the shift picker to understand what shift periods to show.
  • Shift Pattern: The Shift Pattern from the selected site that you want the Shift Picker to show.
  • Handover Report Page: The page in the workbook that has been configured to be the shift handover report. This must have a Handover Report component configured on it. If no handover report is configured, the print button on the workbook header will remain inactive.
  • Privileges: A workbook inherits its permissions from the workspace it was saved in. If required, you can override the privileges here, and you can also add a new user to a role directly from this screen (if you have Security Admin privileges).

When you have finished, click Finish Workbook in the Workbook Studio ribbon.

Related: Locking Down an Object

 

Step 7. All done!

Congratulations! You now have a workbook with an HSE Log that will only show you HSE issues for Area 1.

  • Click the Shift Picker to see the configured shifts.
  • Click the + button in the top right of the entry component to add a new entry.
  • Click the filter button to apply further filters to the entry component.

Read more: How to add or edit an entry, How to filter a log 

 


Release History

  • Log Entry 4.8.0 (this release)

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